Is the United States’ influence in Latin America waning? This article will explore public opinion polls, economic ties and military intervention in this region. There is no simple answer to these questions. However, we can see how the policy of the U.S. is affecting Latin America as a whole. After all, the U.S. has been the most important country in the region for the past seven decades.
Public opinion polls
The fading influence of the US on Latin America is illustrated by the recent election of Rafael Correa as President of Ecuador. This result indicates a further decline in US influence in the region, given his refusal to sign a free trade agreement with the US and his decision not to renew the US Air Force lease on the Manta air base. Meanwhile, Correa’s victory will spur the moderate leftist movement in Latin America to oppose neo-liberal economic policies and the US military presence.
This new dynamic has emerged as a result of a convergence of factors. While President Obama enjoys high approval ratings in Latin America, the majority of leaders in the region embrace globalization and trade ties with the United States. Meanwhile, multilateral lending institutions are more active than ever, and have lent record amounts to Latin America in recent years. In Latin America, this trend will continue to occur.
U.S. policy toward Latin America
The US’s role in the region has diminished, but not completely. While democratization has increased in the region, the deteriorating economic environment has led to a decline in the level of US influence. The end of the Cold War and unipolarity brought market reforms and the consolidation of liberal pluralist democracy in the region. At the same time, the region’s left-wing movements have accelerated, revealing the limits of US influence.
Recent polls indicate that Latin Americans’ view of the US has diminished. In a February 2019 Gallup poll, a majority of Latin Americans disapproved of US interference in their internal affairs. El Salvador, Chile, and Uruguay had continued negative attitudes toward the U.S., while Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro appealed to anti-Americanism and rejection of US imperialism.
Economic ties
The United States and Latin American countries are the largest trading partners of the United States, with the United State accounting for the largest portion of that volume. The United States and Latin America have forged a close economic relationship, which has been bolstered by free trade agreements. Both candidates for president recently spoke of deepening economic ties. The next step in these economic ties looks to be the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that brings together countries from the Western Hemisphere, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Panama, and others. However, relations with Venezuela have been tense in recent years.
Throughout the centuries, the United States has been Latin America’s largest trading partner. By 2011, U.S.-Latin American trade topped $800 billion. And while the United States has a long and rich history with the region, it is growing faster than any other region. In the last decade, trade between the two countries has increased by 80 percent. Mexico, for example, accounts for more than half of all trade in the region. In addition to trade, Latin American countries also have thriving industries.
Military intervention
In the region, the US has been losing influence as the democratic process has broken down in many countries. Increasingly, US commanders have expressed concern over the growing cooperation between Russia and China. In addition, the US has been losing leverage over left-leaning governments in Latin America. China and Russia are often perceived as the main sources of support for these regimes. In this context, the US has begun to look at its strategy in Latin America.
In the past two years, the United States has been closely monitoring the growth of authoritarianism in Latin America, as well as the influence of China. However, this has primarily been done by limiting the role of military aid in the region. In addition, the US is reserving military aid to countries like El Salvador and Guatemala. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been reducing military assistance to many other countries in the region.
Political ties
The political ties between the United States and Latin America are rippling. The growing challenges of the United States’ domestic and international affairs are causing the United States to shift its foreign policy priorities. With such an expansive relationship, the United States is likely to put the region’s security and stability at the forefront of its priorities. Although ties between the United States and Latin America are deep, the region faces some challenges and is in need of a new era of diplomacy.
The political landscape in Latin America has changed a lot. Several left-wing parties have emerged, gaining power in a variety of countries. The late Hugo Chavez’s government in Venezuela has been especially critical of U.S. foreign policy. The governments in Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Uruguay have also aligned themselves with Venezuelan socialist politics, while Cuba is a non-American nation. Even so, the left-wing governments in Latin America were not as anti-American as those in the United States.
